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Friday, September 14, 2012

Using Life Experiences (Part 2) by Morgan St. James #GuestPost #writertip

Today, we have Part 2 of Morgan St. James' column on how to use your life experiences in your writing.

WHY KEEP THE NOTEBOOK?

You
might not have immediate need for any of these impressions, adjectives or
adverbs when they catch your attention, but when you need something special you
have references from your own experience or imagination. A favorite that I
jotted down, just because I liked the sound of it, was “like an old dowager attempting
to keep her dignity.” It was from some old 1940’s movie on late night TV, but
the image stuck with me. Later I used it in Devil’s Dance, a book I wrote under
the pseudonym Arliss Adams, to create a visual image of a shabby sofa with arm
caps covering the worn spots. A description of a dowager wasn’t related to a
sofa, but the image of hanging onto the last bit of dignity was clear.

When
placing a character in a situation that is emotional, whether the scene is one
of love at first sight, terror, or delight at seeing a new baby, the deep
emotional reaction must be felt. Your character must feel it so the reader can
as well. That reaction isn’t one sided. It’s both physical and mental. You can
soar to the heights or drop to the depths.
You might swell with pride or be reduced to tears. That is the mental
side. What are the physical reactions? Does the stomach twist in spasms? Is the
person so happy they actually feel a bit lightheaded? That’s where the writer
becomes the method actor.

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW

You’ve
probably heard that saying so many times you’re sick of it. Still, the majority of us have had
experiences that produce these emotions and physical reactions. Your own
experience may have no direct relationship whatsoever to the actual mechanics
of the scene you’re in the process of creating, but the feelings are the same.

Think
back to those times and immerse yourself in the memory. For example, the odds
are you have never been threatened at gunpoint as your scene now dictates, but
have you been in an accident? Have you taken tests at a doctor’s office and
awaited the results? Have you walked through a dark, isolated area, then heard
a noise? What did you feel? Terror. What does your victim feel? Terror. Again,
it’s not the same situation, but terror creates a set of physical and mental
reactions, regardless of the situation.

YOUR NOTEBOOK BECOMES YOUR PERSONAL
DATABANK

To
grasp those feelings, forget about how to relate your memory to the scene in
your manuscript. Instead, as you picture it, enter what happened to you or what
you experienced in an “Experiences” section of your notebook. While you are
writing down your own feelings, let your mind roam free. Capture the emotions
that surge back as the memories take hold. Now you have a record of what that
emotion feels like. Surprisingly, it can be applied to a multitude of
manuscripts, because the basics are the same. Let’s say the reaction was
surging thoughts. The only difference is they become the thoughts that apply to
that particular situation and will vary with the storyline. But, the thoughts
still surge.

REALITY INSPIRES FICTION OR CREATIVE
NON-FICTION

My
two latest books are examples of translating real stories into fiction or
creative non-fiction. Who’sGot the Money?, co-authored by Meredith Holland, involves a fictional plot
centered around a little known big business. It is a very clever scam to
embezzle millions from the federal prison department. While this book is fiction,
it was inspired by things Meredith and I experienced while actually
representing the manufacturing division of the federal prison system, an Eight
Hundred Million Dollar a year business. We realized what we knew could fuel a
very funny crime caper.

Confessions of a Cougar is a writing
style called creative non-fiction. The story is essentially a true story of
escapades in England where my friend and I officially became cougars, older
women involved with young men, during a 1982 trip paid for by my millionaire
boyfriend. It was a case where sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, but
just needs a little embellishment to turn it into a compelling book. The names
were changed for legal reasons, but just about everything in this romp through
Europe is true.

TAKE
A HARD LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU DURING YOUR LIFE.

Consider all of the above and analyze
what you have. You might be sitting on a best seller, and not know it.

MORGAN ST. JAMES - Author/Speaker/Columnist

Short Bio

Award-winning Author/Speaker/Columnist Morgan St.
James’ says her just-released book, Confessionsof a Cougar, is a story that begged to be told. Funny and romantic, it’s a true
story of coming of age at 42 with some delicious young guys.

Her list of published novels continues to grow, with
Vanishing Act in Vegas, the recently
released third comical Silver Sisters Mystery co-authored with her sister
Phyllice Bradner, and the funny crime caper Who’sGot the Money? co-authored with Meredith Holland.

St. James is an entertaining speaker, presents
workshops and frequently appears on author’s panels. Morgan edits and publishes
of the online eZine Writers Tricks of the
Trade and writes columns for the Los Angeles and Las Vegas editions of
Examiner.com.

One of the things that I find interesting is that when you inject your own emotions, it helps you to become that character while you are writing. When I was writing Devil's Dance as Arliss Adams and hit a particularly heart-wrenching passage I sat at the computer crying my eyes out as though it was actually happening to me. Readers felt that and I received many comments about how real it felt to them.